Serial Killer on the Loose
by kensi54382
Summary: A serial killer on the loose kidnaps a CSI to keep himself safe. But the danger increases as he tries to run from police.
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

Calleigh pulled into the parking spot reserved for her hummer and climbed out, heading into the crime lab. She was tired, having been called back to work for a manhunt. Horatio had apologised on the phone for calling her back in before she had even reached home at the end of her shift, but she had squashed his apologies and told him that it was okay. She understood that the guy they were searching for was dangerous, and she knew that he had tried to kill the team already. Fortunately for them, he was an amateur when it came to weapons and he had completely missed them. As she walked into the busy building, Calleigh noticed that something was off. The building itself didn't feel right, and it didn't take her long to figure out why. A few steps into the crime lab, she saw Ryan lying on the floor, and Natalia comforting a frightened child behind an overturned desk. Not able to find anyone else, Calleigh moved over to where her friend was.

"Nat? What happened?" asked Calleigh in a whisper.

"He's here," replied Natalia.

"Who?"

"Victor Jones. The serial killer that we were after."

Calleigh felt the news hit her like a shockwave. "Where's H? And Eric?"

"Not sure. Eric was leaving when Horatio called him back, so I'm not sure where he is now. But H was around here somewhere."

"I'm going to find him. And maybe stop by my lab to get some firepower for everyone." Calleigh loved her job. "Is Ryan okay?"

"I think he's out cold."

Calleigh nodded. She stood up and walked off, being careful to stay hidden when she could until she reached the quiet of her lab. Walking in, she closed the door and headed over to her gun locker. She had so many weapons there that she always felt safe. Apart from the one time when Detective Hagen had killed himself in there, she had never felt unsafe. Until now. Because when she turned around, she felt the cold barrel of a silencer on her the back of her head.

* * *

Natalia finally managed to calm down the child she had found in the waiting area of the PD an hour earlier. She told the girl to stay hidden and then moved to quickly check on Ryan. She was relieved to find him breathing properly and gently shook him until he opened his eyes.

"Nat?" he slurred. "What's going on?"

"You have a pretty bad gash on the back of your head Ryan. I'm getting you out of here while I still can. Ambulances are waiting outside."

"I'm fine."

"No you aren't. You can't even talk properly." Natalia ignored the rest of his protests and carefully lifted up until they were outside. "No matter what he says, he needs to be in a hospital right now. The back of his head is cut open and bleeding."

Two paramedics took Ryan from her and put him into the back of an ambulance. Natalia watched them leave and then returned to the building, finding Horatio looking around for her.

"Where did you come from Miss Boavista?"

"Ryan is going to the hospital. Did you talk to Calleigh?"

"Haven't seen her. Where is she?"

"She said she was going to look for you and that she wanted to stop at her lab on the way to get some more guns."

Horatio paled.

"What's wrong H?"

"Victor...he was holed up in Calleigh's lab when I last saw him..."

It was Natalia's turn to go pale. "We need to get her out of there."

"I agree. So let's get Mr Delko and save her."

* * *

Calleigh slowly turned around and faced Victor Jones. "What do you want?" she asked carefully.

It wasn't the first time someone had held a gun to her head, and it probably wouldn't be the last if she got out either. But in her own lab, where she had always felt safe, it made her feel scared.

"You'll know soon enough. If you keep your mouth shut and do what I say, you might just live through this." He pointed the gun at her chest, his finger ready at the trigger. "Sit in that chair behind you so I can tie you up. I don't want you escaping or touching any weapons."

Calleigh hesitated, and heard the slide on the gun move.

"Now."

Calleigh took a step backwards and sat in the chair that he had indicated. She watched him grab rope from a bag on her desk before he forced her arms behind the chair and tied the rope around her wrists and waist.

"You aren't going to speak unless I tell you to. Understand?"

Calleigh nodded. "Yes."

"Good." Victor pulled a phone from his pocket. "Give me Horatio Caine's number."

Calleigh quickly recited her boss' number and waited, knowing that Victor would force her to tell Horatio that she was fine.

"Caine."

"Lieutenant. This is Victor Jones. I want to tell you that I have your pretty blonde CSI here."

"Let her go. You can have me instead."

"No, I don't think so. You see, you're the only person that can get me what I want."

"What is that?"

"Not yet. I'm not ready for that."

"Let me talk to Miss Duquesne."

"Okay, I guess you can do that." He pushed speaker phone and put it near Calleigh. "She's here."

"Calleigh, are you alright?"

"I'm fine Horatio," said Calleigh.

"Good. And Victor, she better stay that way. If you hurt her in any way, there will be consequences. You'll be dealing with me."

"If she listens, I won't hurt her. I have no intention of inflicting any kind of harm."

"Then tell me what you want so I can get it for you."

"Not yet. I'll call you later with my demands." He hung up the phone and dropped it onto the table next to him. "As for you my friend, let's get to know each other."


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

"Horatio, what the hell happened?" asked Eric anxiously as he walked up to them.

"Calleigh is being held hostage in her lab."

"What? Get her out of there!"

"Mr Delko, relax. I won't let Miss Duquesne get hurt."

Eric couldn't relax. He was too scared that the love of his life was going to get hurt. All he wanted to do was shoot his way in and kill the idiot that was holding Calleigh hostage. He didn'to care if he got hurt, as long as she was safe.

"Eric, why don't you go and see how Ryan is?" Natalia said gently. "You don't have to leave the building, just call the hospital."

"Y...yeah, I guess I could do that..." said Eric. He walked around the corner and called Alexx, knowing she was on duty at that moment.

"Hey Eric, how are you?" asked Alexx when she answered her phone.

"Not good. Is Ryan okay?"

"He'll be fine. What's wrong?"

"Cal...she's in there...with him..." Eric tried saying.

"Honey, I don't understand what you're talking about. Start again."

"The monster kidnapped Cal. In her own lab."

"I'm assuming the monster is that serial killer on the news?"

"Yes..."

"Eric, don't worry about Calleigh. She's tough, she'll be okay. She might even beat him up a bit if she gets the chance."

That brought a smile to Eric's lips. "Maybe. That would be good. It would serve him right for hurting her."

"So stop worrying about her. Only worry if she gets hurt, okay?"

"Okay. Thanks Alexx."

"You're welcome."

Sighing in relief, Eric hung up and returned to where his boss was standing. "Ryan's okay," he informed them.

"Good," replied Horatio as his phone rang.

* * *

Victor picked up his phone. "I think it's time I made some demands, don't you?"

Calleigh opened her mouth, but Victor slapped her, making her cry out in pain.

"I didn't say to talk, did I? For that, I might just tape your mouth closed. Keep you from talking again."

Calleigh took a deep breath to stop herself from whimpering in pain as she watched helplessly while Victor cut a piece of duct tape from a roll in his bag. She closed her eyes when he came near her and put the tape over her mouth, thinking about how she really wanted to kill him right then.

"That's better. Now you can't annoy me or ruin my plans." He grabbed his phone and dialled Horatio's number for the second time in half an hour.

"Yes Victor?"

"I want two million dollars and a police helicopter to take me to the Marina. I don't want any cops following me either, or your pretty CSI dies."

"You aren't getting anything until I speak to Calleigh."

"She's a little tied up right now. Plus, she didn't listen to me, so she's being punished. But don't worry, I won't hurt her too much, she's my insurance policy."

"Let her go, and I promise you won't be stopped."

"You said you would get me what I wanted."

"You said you wouldn't hurt her and that you would let her go when you got what you wanted."

"I lied. You have one hour to get me what I want." Victor hung up the phone before Horatio could speak again. "Now, Calleigh, you be a good girl and this will all be over before you know it."

Calleigh turned her head away from him when he sneered at her, the only thought in her head being that she loved Eric and couldn't wait to see him again.

* * *

"I don't care how hard it is. A life is hinging on this money coming through right now!" Frank shouted into the phone.

They had managed to get the helicopter Victor had asked for within a few minutes of him hanging up in Horatio, but the money was proving to be significantly harder to get. It had already been half an hour since the demand had been made, and everyone was on edge to get what they needed before the deadline hit.

"We are trying sir, but there is nothing we can do to make this go any faster. You have one million dollars already. Isn't that enough?"

"I said two million, not one. Hurry up!" Frank slammed the phone down on its cradle as he tried to calm down.

"What are we up to Frank?" asked Horatio.

"One million. They're saying it could be at least another twenty minutes before the rest comes through. What are we going to do?"

"Pray it comes in time. I don't know. The snipers don't have a chance, the firearms lab is too well protected. I don't know how to get her out alive."

"This should help Lieutenant," called a young woman from the front desk at PD. "The money just came through. All two million of it."

"Thank you Jessica." Horatio took the cash from her and ran to the lab with a Frank behind him. "Victor! It's Lieutenant Caine! I have your money and a chopper waiting for you!"

* * *

Victor heard Horatio through the door and glanced up briefly. He could hear the blades of a helicopter in the distance and knew that he was being told the truth.

"Well Calleigh, looks like they came through. Let's go." He cut the rope away from the chair and yanked her up, taping her hands behind her back before pushing her to the door.

The door opened for him and Horatio passed a case in. Victor took it and shut the door again, looking briefly into the case of money to count it. When he was satisfied that the whole two million was there, he shoved Calleigh forward into the hall outside her lab.

"Any cops, and I shoot her."

Calleigh whimpered as soon as she felt Victor's gun in her back, but she kept walking to the elevator anyway. She watched him press the button marked 'r' for the roof, then stepped out when the doors opened. A helicopter was waiting for them, and Victor pushed Calleigh toward it, a smile playing on his face the whole way.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

"Get in!" shouted Victor over the noise of the helicopter rotors.

Calleigh did as she was told, and struggled into the helicopter with Victor pushing her. Once she was in, Victor climbed in and shut the door. He grabbed his gun and hit Calleigh over the head with it, knocking her unconscious before turning to the pilot and telling him where to fly to. They touched down ten minutes later at the Marina's helipad and Victor climbed out, pulling Calleigh with him. He wasn't going to leave the pilot to tell the police where he was heading, so he quickly shot the man in the head and dragged a still unconscious Calleigh to a waiting, idling car. He shoved her into the back seat and climbed into the front, driving off to start his half an hour drive to Fort Lauderdale.

* * *

"H, we can't let him get away with her. I'm scared," said Eric quietly to Horatio when no-one was around.

"We won't Eric, I promise. Natalia is tracking her cell phone right now. We'll know where they go and I'll have someone waiting for them."

Eric nodded, but didn't feel any better. "I want to kill him..."

"Get in line. I'm first, Natalia's second. Ryan probably wants him dead too."

"He has the woman I love. That makes me first."

Horatio smiled a little. "We'll see. First we have to catch him."

"Okay..." Eric took a deep breath and then went to find Natalia.

* * *

"Nat, please tell me you have something," said Eric desperately.

"I've almost got a lock on Cal's cell phone GPS. Give me a minute." Natalia looked at Eric. "Sit with me for a while. This way you can be the first to know where she is."

"Thanks." Eric sat in the empty chair next to Natalia. "Is he moving?"

"Yeah. He's driving along the I-95. Has been for a little while I think."

"Where is he exactly?"

"Around Pinewood."

"So let's go get him." Eric stood but Natalia pulled him back into the seat.

"Not yet. He's still driving. We won't catch up. Don't worry, we will get him."

"I don't know what to do Nat. I can't just sit here and do nothing while Calleigh's in danger."

"I know, but right now, we have to just be patient. She'll be okay, I promise."

"I hope you're right."

"I am." _Hopefully,_ she added in her mind.

Natalia turned her attention to the computer screen in front of her. In less than ten minutes, Calleigh's GPS signal had moved to Ives Estates Park. Natalia followed the signal with her eyes as it continued to move north toward Fort Lauderdale.

"I'm calling Fort Lauderdale PD," said Eric when he saw that the signal had entered the town.

"Okay. I'm calling Horatio," answered Natalia as the GPS dot turned off the I-95 onto West Broward Boulevard.

"Caine."

"H, it's me. We tracked them to West Broward Boulevard in Fort Lauderdale. Eric's talking to the PD there right now."

"Good. Keep an eye on them and send Eric to me at PD when he finishes on the phone."

"Okay." Natalia hung up and turned to Eric. "Horatio wants you when you're finished on the phone. He's at PD."

Eric nodded. "Okay, thank you very much. Goodbye," he said into the phone. "Thanks Nat," he called as he left the AV lab.

* * *

Victor put the car's radio on to a news channel and listened, hoping that he would hear about the pilot he had killed. He didn't think that anyone knew where he was going now. The only loose end left was Calleigh, but she was still unconscious in the back seat. And she wouldn't be able to talk anyway. The duct tape was still on her mouth, her hands still taped together behind her back. He wasn't going to get caught as long as Horatio kept his word to not involve any police. He was enjoying himself immensely. And he was in luck. There was very little traffic on the I-95, so he was going to get to his destination a lot quicker than he'd originally thought. That was fine. It meant that he would get out of the state quicker. Maybe even in daylight instead of the dark.

"Owwwww..." moaned Calleigh through the tape over mouth.

"Be quiet!" said Victor. He wasn't annoyed, just worried that she would try to sit up and get him caught. "Stay there and don't move."

Calleigh opened her eyes and looked through the windshield. Through her blurry vision she noticed a few buildings that she had been to during her work days, but couldn't pinpoint an exact location. She could feel something trickling down her face, but it didn't bother her anymore. She closed her eyes again without falling asleep, hoping that Horatio knew where she was.

The news came on and Victor turned up the radio. A smile lit up his face when he heard that the Miami Dade PD had found the dead pilot, but he quickly realised that he had made a mistake. He had hit Calleigh once they were inside the helicopter, and her blood had dripped onto the floor of the helicopter. He hadn't noticed it.

_They may have found her blood, but that doesn't tell them where I'm going. It only says that she was on the chopper at some point today,_ he thought to himself.

Victor smiled again. His good mood was back and he changed the channel, finding a music station that was playing a song he liked. He started singing along as he turned off the I-95 onto West Broward Boulevard, not knowing the car behind him was an unmarked Fort Lauderdale PD car.

* * *

"Time to get out Calleigh," said Victor menacingly. He pulled her from the back seat and shoved her in front of him.

They had arrived at the next destination: the pier at the end of a street Victor had family on. He was planning to take a boat into the ocean, where he knew there was an island he could hide on until his friend came around to pick him up.

When Victor looked up, he saw people in front of him, all pointing guns at him. "Shit! Cops!" He pushed his gun into Calleigh's stomach. "Let me go, or I kill her!"

"Drop your weapon!" yelled a few of the police officers. "Let her go!"

"I'll kill her!" Victor pulled back the slide on his gun.

Calleigh knew she wasn't getting out of this one. So she struggled against Victor, finally using the last of her strength to break out of his grip. She started to run towards the closest officer, but fell as soon as she felt something hit her. She watched as Victor fired off a few more bullets and then run into a house, police following him.

"Ma'am? Can you hear me?"

Calleigh looked at the person that had bent down next to her and nodded.

"I'm going to take the tape off your mouth and hands, okay?"

Again, Calleigh nodded. Her vision was blurring and she was having trouble breathing. As soon as the tape was gone, Calleigh reached for her stomach, feeling something sticky and hot there.

"Help," whispered Calleigh before she blacked out.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

"Let's go!" shouted the air paramedic that was sitting next to Calleigh in the helicopter. "She needs a doctor now!"

The helicopter had just landed at Mercy Hospital, having picked Calleigh up from Fort Lauderdale. The bullet wound in her stomach hadn't stopped bleeding, and the paramedics hadn't been able to slow down the bleeding either. The bullet was still in the wound, and no-one knew how deep it was.

"What happened?" asked the doctor that met them.

"Gunshot wound in her stomach, still bleeding heavily. No exit wound. She has a head wound too, but it's not serious."

"Any papers?"

"She was unconscious when we got there. All we have is her name. Uh, it's Calleigh Duquesne," the paramedic said after consulting a notepad.

"Okay, let's get her to surgery!" The doctor looked at her patient with worry all over her face.

* * *

"Eric! Let's go! Calleigh's at the hospital," said Horatio from outside the men's room door.

Eric slowly moved to the door, his head bowed in fear at what he would find at the hospital. When Horatio had gotten a call from an Officer Watts ten minutes ago, he had gone pale, hung up, and tried to tell Eric that Calleigh had gotten shot and was being air-lifted to Mercy Hospital in Miami.

"What if she can't be saved? If he kills her, I'm going to kill him."

"She'll be okay. Alexx is looking after her. You know she's in good hands with Alexx in charge."

"I hope you're right, H."

Eric slowly followed his boss out to the car and they headed to the hospital together.

* * *

Natalia sat next to Ryan's hospital bed, crying hard. She had come to see Ryan after they had found Calleigh, and then she had been told that Calleigh was in surgery. She was scared of losing her best friend. Ryan was upset too, but he pushed away the pain to comfort Natalia.

"Nat, she'll be fine. You know Calleigh. How many times has she been hurt? She always gets out of it alive and well," said Ryan gently.

"What if she doesn't this time?"

"She will. I know she will." Ryan hugged her tightly.

* * *

"Get me the tweezers so I can get this bullet out," said Alexx.

Calleigh was in an operating room, had been for the last hour. Alexx had located the bullet on an x-ray, buried deep in Calleigh's stomach. She was doing surgery to remove the bullet so she could stitch the wound and stop the young woman from bleeding out.

"Thank you," said Alexx when a nurse passed her the tweezers. She gently pried the bullet from the wound with the tweezers, placing it on a tray next to her. "Get me a suture kit."

A second nurse handed the kit over. "Would you like me to get this bullet to the police Dr Woods?"

"Yes please. Make sure nothing touches it, and that it goes straight to CSI." Alexx threaded the sterile needle and then stuck it into Calleigh's skin, sewing up the wound carefully. "Hand me the gauze and tape."

The first nurse passed over the items, and Alexx began to carefully clean around the wound so she could tape the gauze down securely. When she was done, she turned to the two remaining nurses. "Take her to a ward. I'll be there in a few moments."

The nurses took Calleigh up to her room while Alexx cleaned up quickly and then headed out to speak to Eric and Horatio.

* * *

"Eric, Horatio," said Alexx from the door into the waiting room.

Eric looked up and was the first to stand. He almost ran to Alexx. "Please tell me she's okay," he said in fear.

Alexx looked at her friend and knew he was scared. He was clearly distraught, and his eyes were red from crying.

"Cal's going to be fine. The bullet's out and on the way to the lab for you. The wound is stitched up and not bleeding anymore. I'm giving her blood to replace what she lost, but other than that, there's nothing to worry about. She'll pull through like she always does."

Eric sagged in relief, and Horatio had to hold his arm to keep him from falling over. "Thank you so much Alexx." Eric threw his arms around her.

"You're welcome Eric. She's upstairs, next door to Ryan. Go see her. I'll be there in a few minutes."

Eric almost raced to the elevator. He pushed the 'up' button repeatedly until the elevator arrived, and then he pushed the button for the third floor repeatedly until the elevator stopped at his destination. He pushed through a crowd of people and then ran until he found his girlfriend's room. He stepped in, took one look at Calleigh, and felt tears start to pour from his eyes again. She was too pale for his liking and he could see the IVs Alexx had put in. He sat on the bed, gently holding Calleigh's hand until he heard people behind him.

Eric hastily wiped his tears away and then turned. "Hey," he said quietly.

"She'll be okay Eric," said Ryan. He had convinced Natalia to help him walk to Calleigh's room.

"She shouldn't be hurt at all."

"No-one should have been, but it's all going to be okay. I promise. I bet she'll wake up and tell you she's fine. She'll kiss you and then keep nagging until she gets to go home."

Natalia smiled a little. "I swear I'm going to wrap her in wool and stop her from leaving the lab so she doesn't get hurt again."

"She gets hurt in the lab too. Remember when she accidentally fired the gun in her lab and it broke the table? How about that time with the gas that got all of us?" said Ryan.

"Yeah, she loves to be the centre of attention too." Natalia grinned more. "I love it actually, cause usually I get be there with her."

Eric smiled a little. "Yeah. That's Cal alright." He turned his attention to his girlfriend. "She just needs us to protect her..."

"No she doesn't." Everyone looked at the door. "She's tough enough to protect herself."

"What did Alexx say?" asked Eric straight away.

"Cal's fine. Like she told you Eric."

Eric breathed a sigh of relief. He kissed Calleigh's hand and then closed his eyes, wishing he could swap places with her.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

Calleigh turned her head to the side, listening to sounds that were distant. She moved her hand and something brushed against her, scaring her enough so that she opened her eyes. But when she saw what she had touched, she calmed down and a smile broke out. She reached out again, touching the man's head since she couldn't reach any further, and was glad when he turned to face her with sleepy eyes.

"Calleigh! Thank god," said Eric groggily. He reached out to hug her.

"I love you Eric," whispered Calleigh.

"I love you too sweetheart. Let me go get Alexx, and I'll be back." He kissed her head.

"Be quick."

"I will."

Eric disappeared through the door and returned a moment later with Alexx behind him. He sat down on the bed and took Calleigh's hand in his, giving her a reassuring smile as Alexx worked.

"Calleigh, baby, you really need to stop ending up in here," said Alexx. She was serious, but she smiled anyway.

"You don't have to tell me that Alexx, I hate hospitals. Tell the bad guys to stop hurting me," said Calleigh.

Alexx nodded, but continued to adjust some controls and check Calleigh's injuries. "You need to rest for a couple of days Calleigh."

"Can I go home?"

"No. You're staying here under my care."

"Please Alexx?"

"No. You were shot at close range. You lost a lot of blood. You are in no condition to be going home right now."

"When can I go then?"

"When I say so."

Calleigh groaned. "Fine."

A smile playing on her lips, Alexx asked her friend, "how are you feeling anyway?"

"Okay, actually. There's no pain at the moment. Did you give me any pain killers?"

"I adjusted the morphine about an hour ago. Do you not want the pain relief?"

"I do, but not morphine. Anything but morphine," said Calleigh, reflecting on a previous case where someone had dosed her with more than three times the recommended dosage of morphine.

"You aren't allergic to it Cal, so what's the problem?"

Calleigh hesitated, and Eric answered for her, squeezing her hand as he did so. "Some idiot last year forced her to take over three times the normal amount of morphine. She got sick from it."

"Okay, I'm sorry honey. I'll make a note in your file so that you don't get given it again. Would that be better?"

"Yes, thank you Alexx," smiled Calleigh. "How are your kids?"

"They're good. You shouldn't be worrying about everyone else, just worry about yourself."

"Can't help it, sorry."

"Try." Alexx gave her a smirk. "Or else..."

"Or else what?"

"Secret."

"Meanie."

"If it helps get the job done, so be it."

Both girls broke out in laughter at that statement. Eric joined in quickly.

"I'm gonna go check on some other patients, then come back. When I get back, I want you to be resting. Understood?"

"Yes, mum." Calleigh took Alexx's hand and squeezed it gently, showing her that she was grateful, but also that she had no strength to get out of bed anyway. "I'll be here when you get back."

* * *

Horatio glared at the man in front of him, angry that Calleigh was hurt because of this jerk. He wanted nothing more than to shoot him like he shot Calleigh, but couldn't do it, knowing that he would be in trouble immediately if he did. Victor had an ugly smirk on his face, was attempting to taunt Horatio. But that didn't work well when Horatio slammed his fists on the table.

"Why? Why did you shoot her?" asked Horatio in a menacing voice.

Victor didn't answer but someone did. It wasn't an answer for the question, but the person did manage to calm Horatio somewhat.

"H, come out here."

Horatio followed Frank out to where Natalia was. She had a soft smile on her face.

"Calleigh's awake. Eric said that she's bothering Alexx again," said Natalia.

"Is she okay?"

"As okay as she can be. Eric said she's very talkative, which is a sign she's nervous. But other than that, she's okay. She wants to go home already."

"Please tell me Alexx is keeping her in hospital?"

"She is. At least for a couple more days anyway."

Horatio nodded. "Thank you Miss Boavista."

Natalia smiled and watched him enter the interrogation room again. She was worried about him, knew that Calleigh was like a daughter to him. He was protective of his team, but more so of Calleigh because of the way her father could be.

* * *

Ryan looked around the hospital room he was in and contemplated just walking out. Until he saw Alexx walk past.

"Alexx!" Ryan called out.

For a few minutes, nobody came in the door. Just as Ryan was going to get up, Alexx came in, a worried look on her face when she recognised her friend.

"Ryan, what happened to you?"

"Knocked out. Is Calleigh okay? I heard she got kidnapped and shot."

"She's okay at the moment. Eric is with her. Do you want to see her?"

"Yes please Alexx. That would be great. Thank you."

Alexx smiled a little as relief kicked in. She left and then returned a moment later with a wheelchair.


	6. Chapter 6

Alexx wheeled Ryan into Calleigh's room and sighed. She had known Calleigh wouldn't be resting, but she hadn't expected to find her patient out of bed. And she certainly hadn't expected Eric to be the culprit behind that.

"Calleigh."

"Sorry Alexx, I just needed the bathroom," said Calleigh as her face went red.

Alexx softened. She moved ahead to help Calleigh get back into bed. "Let me check the wound, make sure that it's still healing nicely."

Calleigh nodded, relieved to be resting again. She didn't even complain when Alexx poked and prodded the wounded area of her stomach.

"Nothing's been damaged. If you need to be up and about, at least use a wheelchair."

"Next time I get up will be to go home."

"Alright, let's see how you go overnight and then I'll decide what to do with you."

Alexx left and Ryan wheeled himself over to the bed. "Hey Cal, it's nice of you to wake up and return to the land of the living."

"You can't talk. You were unconscious when I got back to the lab mister. You had a nice sleep while the rest of us were busy."

"At least I didn't get myself kidnapped by a serial killer."

Calleigh grinned, which got Ryan smiling too. Their banter had lightened the mood. "Where's Nat?"

"She went back to the lab to help H with something. She's coming back with him later."

"Are you doing okay?"

"Yeah. My head hurts a little, but I'm fine."

"Good. Are you heading home?"

"Tomorrow afternoon. Alexx said that she doesn't trust me to be careful on my own. Looks like neither of us is trustworthy," said Ryan sarcastically.

"Apparently not." Calleigh yawned.

"I think it's time for me to go," said Ryan as he turned himself around and rolled out to his own room.

"And it's time for you to rest," said Eric. He helped her lay down and then covered her with the blanket. "I'll be right here if you need anything."

"Thank you Eric." Calleigh closed her eyes and was asleep in an instant.

* * *

Horatio glared at Victor again. "You are damn lucky that my CSI is alive. You have narrowly escaped a tenth murder charge. That pilot you killed- he had two little girls that are now wanting to know why their beloved daddy isn't coming home again. Your last victim- she was a nineteen year old law student with parents and friends that are asking for you to be brought to justice. Which is exactly what I intend to do. I don't even need a confession- I have video footage of six of the murders, witnesses for you shooting my CSI, and knocking out another CSI, and for the rest of the murders you left prints behind. For a serial killer, you are very sloppy. See you in court."

Horatio walked out as an officer cuffed Victor and led him out to the holding cells. A huge wave of relief washed over him as he thought about Calleigh and Ryan both being lucky.

"Where are we on that evidence Miss Boavista?" he asked.

"I've processed everything, we're just waiting on the results now. I was about to head to the hospital. Are you coming? Frank is."

Horatio nodded. "Yes, I'll come with you."

* * *

Calleigh smiled when her friends came in. Eric had just woken her up, knowing how much she wanted to see them, so her eyes was half closed and she couldn't stop yawning. But she was happy, and that was clear to everyone around her.

"So, what's happening with Victor?" Calleigh asked.

"He's going to jail. He'll pay for everything he's done, including shooting and kidnapping you Calleigh," said Frank.

"That pilot, did he survive? Victor knocked me out before I saw what happened."

"He shot the pilot in the head," Horatio said softly, watching as all the happiness drained out of Calleigh.

"Poor guy," whispered Calleigh. She could feel Eric's arm around her before the tears even fell.

"It's alright Cal, it's alright. He'll pay for that too."

"He better." Calleigh took a deep breath in and steeled herself. "I swear, he better pay."

* * *

Frank had just gotten back to his desk when his phone rang.

"Tripp."

"Detective, we need you down in holding."

"Why?"

"Your prisoner, Victor Jones, is dead."

"What?"

"Stabbed."

Frank sighed. While he was glad the guy was dead, he had wanted to make sure he went to jail for the rest of his life to be able to get justice for all of the innocent people that had been hurt by him.

"Send him to the morgue. I'll deal with everything else." Frank hung up and dialed Horatio's number to tell him.

* * *

"Thank you Frank." Horatio put his phone back into his pocket and re-entered Calleigh's room.

"Is something wrong Horatio?" asked Ryan.

"Victor Jones is dead. He was stabbed in his holding cell."

"Good." Calleigh smiled. "Serves him right for everything he's done."

"I know Calleigh." Horatio actually smiled at that. "He won't bother anyone ever again."


End file.
